Benlik Yüceltme ve Psikolojik Sağlık

Öz

İnsanlar, benliklerinin bütünlüğünü ve olumluluğunu korumaya yönelik bir motivasyona sahiptir. Bu motivasyon benlik yüceltme güdüsü olarak ifade edilmektedir. Benlik yüceltmenin psikolojik sağlık açısından yararlı olup olmadığı alanyazında tartışılagelmiştir. Birtakım araştırmacılar benlik yüceltmenin psikolojik sağlık açısından adaptif olduğunu savunurken, diğer araştırmacılar ise benlik yüceltmenin psikolojik sağlık açısından maladaptif olduğunu öne sürmüştür. Bu derlemenin amacı benlik yüceltme ve psikolojik sağlık ilişkisini incelemektir. Yapılan inceleme sonucunda benlik yüceltme güdüsünün psikolojik sağlık açısından yararlı olduğu görülmektedir. Ancak, benlik yüceltme ve psikolojik sağlık ilişkisini ele alan daha fazla kesitsel ve boylamsal çalışma yapılmasına ihtiyaç duyulmaktadır. Benlik yüceltmenin gelecek araştırmalarda ve psikoterapi uygulamalarında çalışılmasının gerekliliği tartışılmıştır.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• benlik güdüleri
• benlik yüceltme
• psikolojik sağlık

Self-enhancement and Psychological Health

Abstract

People have a motivation to protect the integrity and positivity of their self. This motivation is referred to as the self-enhancement motive. Whether self-enhancement is beneficial for psychological health has been debated in the literature. While some researchers argue that self-enhancement is adaptive for psychological health, others have suggested that self-enhancement is maladaptive for psychological health. The purpose of this review is to examine the relationship between self-enhancement and psychological health. As a result of the review, it is concluded that self-enhancement motive is beneficial for psychological health. However, more cross-sectional and longitudinal studies are needed to examine the relationship between self-enhancement and psychological health. The necessity of studying self-enhancement in future research and psychotherapy practices has been discussed.

Keywords

• self-motives
• self-enhancement
• psychological health

References

1. Alicke, M. D., Govorum O. (2006). The better-than-average effect. Psychology Press. Philadelphia.
2. Alicke, M. D., & Sedikides, C. (2009). Self-enhancement and self protection: What they are and what they do. European Review of Social Psychology, 20, 1-48. https://doi.org/10.1080/10463280802613866
3. Colvin, C. R., Block, J., & Funder, D. C. (1995). Overly positive self-evaluations and personality: Negative implications for mental health. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 68, 1152-1162. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.68.6.1152
4. Festinger, L. (1954). A theory of social comparison processes. Human Relations, 7, 117–140. https://doi.org/10.1177/001872675400700202
5. Heatherton, T. F., Vohs, K. D. (2000). Interpersonal evaluations following threats to self: role of self-esteem. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 78, 725–36. https://doi.org/10.1037//0022-3514.78.4.725 Kahneman, D., Knetch, J., Thaler, R. (1990). Experimental tests of the endowment effect and the coase theorem. Journal of Political Economy, 98(13), 25–48. https://doi.org/10.1086/261737
6. Leary, M. R. (2003). The social and psychological importance of self-esteem, The Social Psychology of Emotional and Behavioral Problems. In R. M. Kowalski, M. R. and Leary (Eds.), Interfaces of Social and Clinical Psychology, Psychology Press.
7. Leary, M., Tambor, E., Terdal, S., ve Downs, D. (1995). Self-esteem as an interpersonal monitor: The sociometer hypothesis. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 68, 518-530. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.68.3.518
8. Leary, M. R. (2007). Motivational and Emotional aspects of the self. Annual Review of Psychology, 58(31), 7-44. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.psych.58.110405.085658

9. Mann, M., Hosman, C. M., Schaalma, H. P., de Vries, N. K. (2004). Self-esteem in a broad-spectrum approach for mental health promotion. Health Education Research, 19(4):357-72. https://doi.org/10.1093/her/cyg041
10. Moksnes, U. & Espnes, G. (2013). Self-esteem and life satisfaction in adolescents-gender and age as potential moderators. Quality of life research : an international journal of quality of life aspects of treatment, care and rehabilitation, 22. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11136-013-0427-4
11. Nguyen, D., T., Wright, E., P., Dedding, C., Pham, T. T., Bunders, J. (2019). Low Self-Esteem and Its Association With Anxiety, Depression, and Suicidal Ideation in Vietnamese Secondary School Students: A Cross-Sectional Study. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 10, 698. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2019.00698
12. Orth, U., Robins, R. W., Roberts, B. W. (2008). Low self-esteem prospectively predicts depression in adolescence and young adulthood. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 95(3), 695. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.95.3.695
13. Rieger, S., Göllner, R., Trautwein, U., Roberts, B. W. (2016). Low self-esteem prospectively predicts depression in the transition to young adulthood: A replication of Orth, Robins, and Roberts (2008). Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 110(1), 16-22. https://doi.org/10.1037/pspp0000037
14. Sherman, D. K. & Cohen, G. L. (2006). The psychology of self-defense: Self-affirmation theory. Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, 38, 183-242. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0065-2601(06)38004-5
15. Sowislo, J.F., Orth, U. (2013). Does Low Self-Esteem Predict Depression and Anxiety? A Meta-Analysis of Longitudinal Studies. Psychological Bulletin, 139(1), 213–40. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0028931
16. Steele, C. M. (1988). The psychology of self-affirmation: Sustaining the integrity of the self. Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, 21, 261–302. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0065-2601(08)60229-4
17. Steiger, A. E., Allemand, M., Robins, R. W., ve Fend, H. A. (2014). Low and decreasing self-esteem during adolescence predict adult depression two decades later. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 106(2), 325–338. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0035133
18. Taylor, S. E., Brown, J. D. (1994). Positive illusions and well-being revisited: separating fact from fiction. Psychological Bulletin, 116, 21–27. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.116.1.21
19. Taylor, S. E., Lerner, J. S., Sherman, D.K., Sage, R. M., McDowell, N. K. (2003). Are self-enhancing cognitions associated with healthy or unhealthybiological profiles? Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 85, 605–15. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.85.4.605
20. Taylor, S. E., & Brown, J. D. (1988). Illusion and well-being: A social psychological perspective on mental health. Psychological Bulletin, 103(2), 193–210. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.103.2.193
21. Taylor, S. E., Neter, E., & Wayment, H. A. (1995). Self-evaluation processes. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 21(12), 1278–1287. https://doi.org/10.1177/01461672952112005
22. Tesser, A. (2004). Self-esteem, Emotion and Motivation, Brewer, M.B. ve Hewstone, M. Blackwell Publisihing.
23. Trzesniewski, K. H., Donnellan, M. B., Moffitt, T. E., Robins, R. W., Poulton, R., ve Caspi, A. (2006). Low self-esteem during adolescence predicts poor health, criminal behavior, and limited economic prospects during adulthood. Developmental Psychology, 42(2), 381–390. https://doi.org/10.1037/0012-1649.42.2.381
24. Vignoles, V. L., Schwartz, S. J., Luyckx, K. (2011). “Introduction: Toward an Integrative View of Identity”. In S. J. Schwartz, K. Luyckx and V. L. Vignoles (eds.) Handbook of Identity Theory and Research (pp. 1-27). New York: Springer.
25. von Hippel, W., Lakin, J. L. ve Shakarchi, R. J. (2005). Individual differences in motivated social cognition: The case of self-serving information processing. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin 31(13), 47–57. https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167205274899
26. Wayment, H. A., Taylor, S. E. (1995). Self-evaluation processes: motives, information use, and self-esteem. Journal of Personality, 63(4):729-57. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-6494.1995.tb00315.x
27. Weinstein, N. D. (1980). Unrealistic optimism about future life events. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 39(5), 806–820. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.39.5.806
28. Wills, T. A. (1981). Downward comparison principles in social psychology. Psychological Bulletin, 90, 245-271. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.90.2.245
29. Wood, J. V. & Lockwood, P. (2003). Social comparisons in dysphoric and low self-esteem people, The Social Psychology of Emotional and Behavioral Problems. In R. M. Kowalski, M. R. and Leary (Eds.), Interfaces of Social and Clinical Psychology, Psychology Press.
30. Zell, E., Strickhouser, J. E., Sedikides, C., ve Alicke, M. D. (2019). The Better-Than-Average Effect in Comparative Self- Evaluation: A Comprehensive Review and Meta-Analysis. Psychological Bulletin, February. https://doi.org/10.1037/bul0000218
31. Zimmerman, S. L. (2000) Self-esteem, personal control, optimism, extraversion and the subjective well-being of midwestern university faculty. Dissertation Abstracts International: Section B: The Sciences and Engineering, 60(7-B), 3608.